This is a rather undiscovered gem, judging by its visit counter. It offers clear, understandable history and background to poetic styles and forms from around the world, then defines the styles and forms and, in most cases, gives examples.

Lots of contemporary poetry and links to much more poetry from past masters, who are listed alphabetically. Long list of links to individual poets' websites and other info of interest to poets. Well worth checking out.

Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940. From the Library of Congress files: a wealth of source material from the Depression Years. A goldmine for writing ideas, details, settings and more.

"The preeminent Internet publisher of literature, reference and verse , unlimited access to books and info on the web." Most comprehensive site for reference, poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Meets the needs of students, educators, and the intellectually curious.

Anyone who writes a book can have it added to the shelves of this library. Books accepted in any form (as long as they can sit quietly on a shelf). They are registered but there is no Dewey System. The author alone decides which shelf the book should go on.

World's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, plus huge collection of other rare Renaissance books and manuscripts from all disciplines. Includes approximately 280,000 books and manuscripts; 27,000 paintings, drawings, engravings and prints; musical instruments, costumes and films.

Offers 441 works of classical literature by 59 different authors, including commentaries. Mainly Greco-Roman works, with some Chinese and Persian; all in English translation. Searchable and downloadable.

Massive, well-organized access to electronic resources in medieval studies. Easy-to-use menus and links provide connections to databases, services, texts, and images on other servers around the world. A Georgetown University project.

Makes available "approximately sixty million items in eleven thousand separate collections, including some of the greatest manuscript treasures of American history and culture" as well as support for scholarly research "in many aspects of political, cultural, and scientific history."

Collection of some of the most important literary works of Classical and Medieval eras. Includes many links to other useful resources. [Note: My links to this site have been turning up "Cannot be found" screens here lately. If you have trouble, just Google Online Medieval and Classical Library and it should be the first entry.]

Thorough, reliable research library for literature, humanities and social sciences; over 60,000 books and 1,000,000 journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, all searchable. Allows automatic creation of footnotes and bibliographies as well as other search, note-taking, and writing tools. The catch: For the most complete coverage, you need to subscribe.

Much more than just a rhyming dictionary. You can search for quotations and even pictures. Includes complete texts of Shakespeare's works, The Bible, Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, nursery rhymes, etc.

Buys and sells used books including a broad range of textbooks, non-fiction, current fiction and childrens books. MyBookBuyer is their buyback service, available online 24 hours a day. Send a list of available books and they will quote a price. Shipping is free.

Fastest growing book distributor in Europe. Home base is in the UK, but with an international network it advertises "free shipping to Western Europe, North America and some other countries." Its aim is to make "All books available to All."

The National FederatIon of State Poetry Societies conducts 50 poetry contests in the spring of each year, normally with a March 15 postmark deadline. Winning poems are announced and read at the annual convention.

COPYRIGHT AND PUBLISHING

Latest copyright news from the American Society of Journalists and Authors; also maintains the Authors Registry, a collective licensing agency, and helps professional freelance writers advance their writing careers.

Defines American in terms of British and vice versa. Includes articles on differences between American and British English and much, much more on aspects of the English language. Links to other sites on slang, dialects, Cockney rhyming, jokes, etc.

An entire library at your finger tips! A free virtual library resource center for educators, students, librarians and the general public. Brings the best library and reference sites together in one user-friendly spot.

A convenient and speedy way to look up words without disrupting your normal web browsing. It makes words on web pages, or those you type in, into links so you can click on any word to look it up on the spot. Also provides online dictionaries, thesauri, and word translators.

ETYMOLOGY DICTIONARIES, WORD AND PHRASE ORIGINS

OK, so you know it is a 'herd' of buffalo, but what is the collective noun for bats? Jellyfish? Toads? You'll find the answers here, along with other fascinating information about nouns and adjectives and a smattering of humor.

Word histories and curiosities galore, incredible depth of information on the definition and origins of words and phrases from all over the world, present and past, with reviews of various online dictionaries. Available: a weekly newsletter.

RHYMING DICTIONARIES

(NOTE: Many of the dictionaries listed in other sections also contain
rhyming dictionaries. Seek and ye shall find!)

Type in a word to find its rhymes, synonyms, definitions, and more. Search for quotations and even pictures. Includes complete texts of Shakespeare's works, The Bible, Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, Mother Goose, a reverse dictionary, etc.

Especially good for poetry and songwriting: end rhymes, first and last syllable rhymes, double and triple rhymes, and more. Thesuaurus, spell check, word-finding tool. You can also buy a deluze edition for your desktop PC or Mac.

"The fact checker for the Internet." Indexes quality Internet sites and assists in getting there. From here you can directly search a variety of sites, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, etc. You might want to make it your homepage.

One of the oldest quotation sites on the Web. Large quotations database with search engine, a discussion forum for quotation-related topics. Arrange by subject, author or randomly. Over 23,000 quotations from over 2,600 authors. Offers an email Quote of the Day.

Dictionary, thesaurus, anagram solver; can even be used as a rhyming dictionary. To access thesaurus and other word searches, click on "Advanced Search." You can even build your own glossary. Also has a version for children.

GENERAL REFERENCE

Companion site to A&E's "Biography" TV series: Search database of over 25,000 biographies. Includes a Born on this Day feature, a listing of top 10 bios, discussion forums, and a Classroom section for students and teachers.